Glossary Term – Event

Glossary Term – Organization

The Civil War separated families in unprecedented numbers and allowed women to assume many new roles. With the departure of men into the military, women entered occupations previously reserved for men. In factories, shops, and especially, the expanding civil service, women took jobs as clerks, bookkeepers, and secretaries. A number of women also served as spies and, disguised as men, enlisted as soldiers. But women achieved particular prominence as nurses. Louisa May Alcott and Clara Barton were among thousands of northern and southern...

Glossary Term – Person

Clara Barton (1821–1912) was a nurse, teacher, and humanitarian who founded the American Red Cross. At the end of the war, she was established the Office of Correspondence with Friends of the Missing Men of the United States Army and identified 22,000 missing men.

Interactive

This online exhibition, produced for the Civil War 150 partnership with The Library of America and the National Endowment for the Humanities, invites the public to gain a deeper appreciation of the most transformative period in American history. An adaptation of the traveling exhibition, this online version uses audio clips of dramatic readings of thirteen documents and selected downloadable documents.